Sunset Kamayan Dinner Party in Dumbo (2024)

October is Filipino American History Month, and last year, we wanted to commemorate it with a special potluck dinner party with our barkada. Barkada is a Tagalog term for a close group of friends. We have been studying the art of kamayan, a Filipino style of dining with your hands. A couple of times per year, we eat at various restaurants that specialize in kamayan. We took what we learned and put together a sprawling spread on a banana leaf-lined table for 20 guests. Potlucks are often casual, but they can also be fancy, a low-lift way to celebrate so that no single person is stuck in the kitchen.

What made this occasion extra special was our photographer friend, Celeste Noche who flew in from Portland, Oregon, to take our group photo. We donned our best Filipiniana (Filipino formal wear) to celebrate our friendships, new and old.

The Menu

We set up the table with layers of cleaned banana leaves, some battery powered candles (to avoid wax drips), and compostable wine tumblers. We put down a line of freshly steamed jasmine rice with fried garlic as a base. Everyone put on gloves to place their contributions along the length of rice, so each setting had a little bit of everything.

Since guests were eating with their hands, we sourced packaged scented towels; which are made of cloth, much stronger and effective than moist towelettes.

Karissa made Ditas' pancit, a hearty noodle dish with sautéed vegetables, Chinese sausage, chicken, and hard-boiled eggs.

Our special lumpia Shanghai has fresh thyme leaves mixed into the meat for an aromatic take on a Filipino classic. We served it on a bamboo platter with sweet chili sauce.

Miguel curated the wine selection and brought a classic appetizer, mango with sautéed bagoong (shrimp paste). Amanda brought pinakbet (shrimp paste braised vegetables) and chicharron bulaklak (deep fried ruffle fat). Bettina brought steamed squash and adobo-spiced roasted eggplant. We brought little dishes for Joey's sawsawan, a vinegary dipping sauce that went with everything. Joey also brought some wine along with ginisang (stewed vegetables) and bistek Tagalog (marinated steak). Sara brought chicken and pork adobo stewed in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaf, and lots of black pepper. Abi assembled an edible pineapple centerpiece that held skewers of hot dogs and marshmallows. Scattered along the table were chicharron, take-out dumplings, and Chippy bags from The Philippines.

For dessert, Gabe picked up a classic ube cake from Red Ribbon. Risa made "white passing" cookies, an adaptation of Christina Tosi's salt and pepper cookies.

A Dinner Party Tip

Lining the table with banana leaves isn't just decorative, it's an easy way to clean up! After we were finished, we removed all of the platters and decor. We simply rolled up the leaves with everything disposable and put the bundle in the trash. Since banana leaves are plant matter, they are environmentally friendly and compostable.

You don't need to wait for a wedding to wear your best clothes and plan dinner with your friends. In fact, we encourage special meals like this because we believe there's always room for joy.

Interested in collaborating on your next event? Head to our Inquiries page to tell us more.